By Andy Sevilla.
A man wanted by Kyle Police and U.S. Marshals for failing to maintain his registration as a sex offender was arrested in Virginia, authorities said.
Rodney Earl Pace, 54, was ordered to register annually as a sex offender and failed to do so in Kyle since 2009. He was arrested by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force at a Super 8 Motel in Manassas, Virginia.
The absconder could now face federal charges for potentially violating the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which makes it illegal to flee a state to avoid registration requirements.
Pace was sentenced in Dallas County to five years probation in 1997 for indecency with a 12-year-old boy by sexual contact. He was also sentenced to annual registration as a sex offender, according to a U.S. Marshals’ statement and Texas DPS online records.
“The apprehension of Pace is a testament to the great lengths these investigators will go to insure that each fugitive will ultimately be held to account for their actions,” Robert R. Almonte, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement.
The U.S. Marshals Service said Pace was charged with failing to register as a sex offender in Dallas County in 2008 and 2009, for which he was assessed a 180-day jail term.
After his jail stint, Pace relocated to Kyle and maintained his registration with the Kyle Police Department (KPD) until December 2009, when a criminal complaint alleges he failed to comply with his requirements.
An arrest warrant was issued for Pace on Dec. 17, 2009, Hays County court records show, and since then KPD has solicited the help of state and federal agencies to locate him.
In July 2013, KPD asked for the public’s help in identifying Pace’s whereabouts.
Pace’s last known address was in the 200 block of Strawn Street in Kyle.
The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force initiated an investigation to locate Pace when it appeared he had fled the Kyle area and did not register with local authorities elsewhere, the service said.
Task force investigators determined Pace fled to the Virginia area and handed the investigation over to the U.S. Marshals-based Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force in Richmond.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety online records, there are about 273 registered sex offenders in the Hays County area.
